


Resurfacing

by CeruleanSiren



Category: Critical Role, Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Drowning, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff, Kimallura, NPCs - Freeform, PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-29 22:51:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12095178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeruleanSiren/pseuds/CeruleanSiren
Summary: Memories of nearly losing her lover and her life continue to haunt Allura. Even the simplest of tasks can trigger these images, and everything feels too real.(Potentially to become a podfic. To be decided)





	Resurfacing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kitogic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitogic/gifts).



The steam rising from the golden ornamented bathtub was enough to make the tension in Allura's shoulders lessen. The arcanist hadn't had the time to treat herself to something as simple as a relaxing bath in too long, and while magic was enough to keep her clean, there was something therapeutic about bathing in the traditional sense that made her prefer it. 

The steam wafted the scent of lavender into the air, the bath oils giving the water a glossy sheen as it churned about in the ivory tub. 

She carefully unlaced the golden ribbons at the back of her blue silken gown, allowing the embroidered fabric to fall and crumple around her feet. She left it on the cold stone, the tiles chilling her feet, even in the heat of the room. 

As the woman stepped into the bath, she felt a sharp jolt of panic as the liquid made contact with her skin. It was a short, fleeting feeling, so she didn't pay it much mind as she sunk into the heated bathwater. 

The water soaked into her braids as nimble fingers began to unravel them. The long, golden locks spilled over her shoulders in delicate waves. She willed herself to relax, ignoring her own trembling, leaving it to pent up stress of the months prior. She tried to push the discomfort and uneasiness from her mind, but couldn't quite get it any less than a dull nagging at her gut, a heavy weight just present enough for her to be aware of it. Memories stirred at the back of her mind but they couldn't quite find purchase, and wasn't sure that she wanted them to. 

She tried to simply focus on her bath, feeling her tired muscles begin to unravel; the stiffness leaving her.Sinking lower beneath the bathwater, she tilted her head back so the water could soak completely into her hair.As her face fell beneath the surface of the water, the bath turned cold.

 

\-----

Everything was dark, the air around her far too dense.

No, not air.

Water,

Salty, bitter and cold, threatening to invade her lungs. She pushes upward, at least, she thought it was upward, trying to find the surface of wherever she was. 

Where had the teleportation circle taken her? 

She can hear her heart beating in her ears, feel it thunder and pound against her chest as though it very well was trying to break free.

What if she couldn't get out?

What if the others had followed her?

Kima.

She kicks out, hoping to all the gods that she would break the surface. The fabric of her dress, heavy as iron with waterweight, weaved and caught around her legs, making any movement difficult. But, as burning lungs and fear for her friends spurs her forward, she continues.

Finally she takes a giant gasp of briny, salty sea air, and the sound of churning waves and ferocious wind suddenly assaults her ears, along with a violent, desperate splashing and a very panicked-

"Fuck! Allura!" 

Kima.

Allura turns to follow the voice, seeing Kima just barely able to keep her head above the water in all of that armor, splashing about in equal measure to try and see around the choppy waves as to stay afloat. 

"Allie!" The halfling splutters and chokes on the seawater that invades her mouth, and Allura tries to swim towards her as fast as she could with the fabric wrapping around her legs, threatening to pull her under. 

She couldn't help but feel relieved that she was no longer alone, but even more panicked as the love of her life was barely keeping above the surface. They could both die. 

But not if Allura had something to do with it.

"Allie! Where the fuck are you!" She could hear it in her voice, the choking, petrified sobs of a woman who for the first time in her life, met an enemy she couldn't fight, for the first time in her life, completely unable to come up with a plan, something.

"Kima-!" Allura manages to call, voice barely picking up over the roaring winds as she swims toward her, wrapping her arms under Kima's kicking even more ferociously to try and keep them both afloat. 

"I'm right here, darling- I'm here" she has to shout to get over the sound of the wind, which luckily hid the tears in her voice, as she looks about, panic stirring and writhing in her gut, trying to find any means of land, something. 

Kima continues to struggle and kick against the churning water. The plate armor and heavy chain she wore making it near impossible to keep her own head above the swirling current, and try as Allura might she knew she couldn't keep it up for long. 

"Allie-" Kima splutters, mouth fulling with salty sea water as she struggled.

"I'm not letting go of you." Allura says firmly, but kept her voice as level as she could with the sheer panic boiling up from her gut. She felt as though she'd cough up her own heart sooner than she'd manage words, but she had to keep her head cool, and find a logical solution to their desperate situation. Only one of them could afford to panic right now.

"We're going to be alright." She says gently, still holding Kima tightly against her. "We just need to get to land." She begins to move towards a shape further on the horizon, the salt in her eyes blurring her vision. Possibly the island that they'd left Vox Machina what seemed like forever ago. "You see? We're going to be fine, just a little swim, alright?" Her breathing starts to get ragged and heavy as she swims toward it. The ocean surf coating her in thick, salty spray.

"Allura" Kima cuts in, the urgency in her voice growing all the more with each time she says her name.

"We're going to be fine, we'll be alright." She's trying to convince herself just as much as she was her struggling partner as they tread water.

"No, Allura, I love you,"

"I know."

She continues to swim, already beginning to feel the searing ache in her muscles, and lungs, every fiber screaming in her exhaustion, and it seemed like they'd barely moved. 

"And if we don't get out of this-"

"When we get out."

"Yeah, whatever? Just, let me be the poetically tragic one for a minute, yeah?"

Kima forces out a chuckle between labored breaths. "Once... we get out of here, we're getting fucking married.

Allura can't help but feel a bubble of laughter well up in her chest amidst the rising panic and chaos around them. "You're asking me this now?" She swims forward, watching the shore grow closer ever so painfully slow. It almost felt like they weren't moving at all. 

Kima begins to splutter and cough once more, and Allura instinctively hugs her closer to herself. "Here-" she says, panic beginning to creep into her voice, but tries her best to sound calm. "I'll make you a deal," her throat feels cracked and raw from exertion and swallowing far too much seawater, but she continued, trying her best to calm her frantic lover. 

She begins to sink a bit as the fabric of her dress weaves and snakes around her legs, but she chokes down the panic as she kicks herself free, "if you promise that you wont let go of me, we'll wed this summer, alright?" 

She's losing energy, and losing it fast, feeling herself beginning to slip, water rising up to her jaw, fingers throbbing with the pain of clutching onto the thin gaps between the plates of Kima's armor. 

The exhaustion clearly showed in Allura's voice however, as Kima piped up. 

"You're going to drown. I can swim for myself," 

"Just keep breathing, we're going to be fine."

The water around them is black. She can't keep this up, she had to rest, just for a moment, until she sees a small dot in the distance, only elevated from the surface of the water by a few feet, and growing closer and closer until Allura could just make out-

"Vex'halia!"

It was Kima who shouted, she remembered, but now it was her own voice. The girl was racing toward them, hand outstretched to help them, and just in time. Allura could feel the water dragging them both down, her tired limbs no longer able to work hard enough to keep them both afloat, muscles screaming as fire seemed to tear through every fibre of her being from pure exhaustion.

"Allie!" 

That voice rang out from above them, Kima's voice, but it wasnt coming from her. She felt the water begin to swallow her, felt the panic rise in her stomach, felt the water fill her mouth and nose, covering her eyes.

"Allie!" The sound of the crashing waves and roaring winds was gone, Kima's weight in her arms disappeared, the splashing and spluttering and choked breaths, all silent, dark, quiet and calm...

But the water was warm.

"Allura!"

She jolted upright, sitting up in the bathwater that had grown to be lukewarm.

Kima had her hands firmly planted on her shoulders, the strength of her calloused hands bringing Allura a slight sense of calm and safety.

"Hey- hey, what was that?" Kima asked, in a softness she only ever showed towards her wife. 

Allura wraped her arms tightly around her halfling companion, completely disregarding the fact that Kima was still clothed.

"Woah! Hey, you're fine! I told you that I'd join you in a minute," Kima chuckled, but held the arcanist tightly. 

She pulled away after a moment, smoothing the loose blonde curls from Allura's face. 

The proud paladin’s face softened. "We're okay, you're safe." 

Kima smiled, and even amidst her panic, Allura felt her heart grow warmer.

Allura's voice was horrifically panicked, and her face white as a sheet. "How can you be so sure? What if there's something we forgot? What if something else is about to go horribly wrong-" 

 

"Have you seen what we've survived?" Kima smiled, cupping her wife's face lovingly, "We're invincible."


End file.
